STAFF at a garden centre have issued a light-hearted appeal to find a "beloved" member of their team after it was stolen.
The team at Reynard Nursery in Carluke went to work on Monday morning to discover that Gary, an 8ft fibreglass model of a gorilla that sits pride of place at the centre’s entrance, had disappeared.
Now they are hoping that the power of social media will help get Gary home and they are urging any witnesses or those with dashcam footage to get in touch.
In a video posted on TikTok, a spokesperson for the nursery said: “As many of you will know Gary was an ape of few words, but he also brought along joy to ourselves and customers.
READ MORE: Humza Yousaf's open letter to undecided SNP members – read it in full
“We ask you to keep a look out for Gary in the hope in that he is returned safe and sound to his family.
“He is described as 8ft tall with a grumpy demeanour, and he does have cataracts in his eyes, but our Gary wouldn’t hurt a fly. He also has a distinctive scarring from a case of monkeypox he had last year.”
They then channelled Liam Neeson’s character in Taken in a direct appeal to the thieves, adding: “We do not have money but what do have is a particularly large stock of bananas.
“If you let go of Gary that will be the end of you, but if you don’t, we will look for you, we will find you, and we will grass you to the polis.”
Police confirmed that they were looking into the incident.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 8.35am on Monday, March 20, we received a report of the theft of an 8ft fibreglass gorilla from outside a premises on Mauldslie Road, Carluke.
“Enquiries are ongoing to trace those responsible.
“Anyone with information should call Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 0588 of Monday, March 20, 2023.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here